Bay Breeze

Juan Carlos Esparza, Urban Scapes

It is time for me to write one last president’s message for Bay Breeze since in January the new board will take office. This is a time to look to the future and to review the last two years.

The Installation Dinner at the Blue Pleasant in Cupertino honored and said thank you to this year’s CLCA San Francisco Bay Area Chapter Board of Directors and we welcomed our new board members for 2024. Our thanks to Tom Ellington for his kind comments before swearing in the new 2024 board. Looking forward, the annual Christmas party is always fun.

The last two years have been a time of transition out of the Covid 19 crisis. With the help of my able Vice President Andrew Tuckman, we planned events both educational and social and worked to get more people involved in SFBA and recruit new members. The entire board has been very supportive of these efforts.

Some of the highlights of the last two years include moving Bay Breeze online that resulted not only in savings, but also an increase of revenue. We also did a major redesign of the website for easier member and public access.

And this is a time to thank individuals and I am listing everyone in alphabetical order since they are all equally important to the organization.

• KC Coverdell has been a valuable resource and mentor. He is to be commended for his work during the Covid pandemic.
• Jeff Henninger plans events including the widely successful golf tournaments. His experience with the turf industry has been invaluable.
• Charlene and Leo Ott have been an important bridge between the past and the present and Charlene is a fount of information about historical precedence. Her work as our auditor has helped to make the group’s finances clear. Leo can always be counted on to provide name tags and to support the group with his presence.
• Lesley and Girvin Peters are mainstays of the auxiliary. They have worked hard to raise funds for the LEAF scholarships and to encourage young people who are interested in this field. Lesley’s outstanding organizational skills have made the picnics and Christmas parties great successes. These events allow us to expand our social contacts and renew friendships.
• Andrew Tuckman’s role cannot be understated. He took on the vacant vice presidency and ran with the job. The SFBA awards program was exceptional in planning and implementation.
• Beth Valdez has been an inspiration as treasurer. She has had our back covered with prompt payments and easy to understand information.
• Marin Villalpando has used his wide contacts within the landscape industry to further the group and make sure our sponsor base grows.

I would be remiss not to mention Peninsula Building Materials Peggy Lundie and now Scooter Wren. Both have provided space for our monthly board meetings and hosting vendor night.

I look forward to the coming year—a time both of renewal and change. The new board represents a unique blend of new and old and that should serve the growth of SFBA/CLCA well. They have my best wishes.